President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act in 1935. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins can be seen standing behind Roosevelt. The Act provided pensions, a federal-state unemployment insurance system, and federal funds for state and local "relief" (welfare) programs. The original plan was meant to include health insurance but this element was dropped, largely because of opposition from doctors. Old age pensions had become a major political issue. However, many oldsters favored the much-more-generous Townsend Plan. As a result, Social Security - which was a radical proposal for its time - became the moderate alternative to Townsend.
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